Chelsea

Image source, Reuters

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin says Cole Palmer was "utterly in the right" for stepping up himself to score a penalty against Everton, following a dispute between team-mates about who should take it.

The Blues were 4-0 up when they were awarded a second-half spot-kick. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke argued over who would take it, before Palmer - Chelsea's regular taker - scored his fourth goal of the match.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino said afterwards that he "can't accept this kind of behaviour" and ex-Scotland international Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Cole Palmer is the penalty taker.

"Others who want to walk up and try to take the ball off him - the rule in dressing rooms and in squads is to leave it, it's him and it's his decision. It may well be you want to score a goal and get your confidence up, but it does not matter, it's not your choice."

Nevin continued: "Palmer was absolutely and utterly in the right. Well done to Conor Gallagher, stepping in exactly when he should have done as well. The others? Well, the manager should have a strong word with you.

"Management's an important thing, how you get the best out of people. My temptation, had I been manager, would have been to hook the other two players. Just take them off, say 'don't do that again and this is your punishment', just to show them that you must work as a group.

"But they're young and certainly you can see there's some improvement there."

Cole Palmer says he is thankful he made the switch from Manchester City to Chelsea last summer.

Since the move, the forward has scored 20 goals in 27 league appearances and registered nine assists.

"To make the decision to come to Chelsea was a big one for me and my family, but I just wanted to play football," he told the club website.

"I'm thankful to Chelsea for the opportunity and I'm buzzing."

Palmer's four goals against Everton made him the first Blues player to score in seven successive home league appearances at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino was visibly frustrated through both his television and press interviews on Monday, and that should be no surprise.

He had just overseen a 6-0 home win, in a game which should have represented one of the high points of his time at Chelsea so far.

Instead, he was left answering questions about the embarrassing scenes around the Everton penalty spot in the second half.

With the team cruising to victory, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson decided to make the night all about themselves by squabbling over who should take a spot-kick.

It brought a euphoric Stamford Bridge right back to reality with a stark reminder about the immaturities that have plagued this squad all season.

Pochettino's frustration was well deserved, although he will know he has only himself to blame. His relaxed attitude in trusting the players in these situations has brought him nothing but pain, and it was a real relief to fans to hear him speak after the game with a steely glint in his eye.

There had been hints that this was coming, against Leicester City and Manchester United, and the Argentine had taken his usual approach of defending his players and brushing off their misdemeanours.

But this time they had gone too far and furious Chelsea fans were happy to see him react strongly at last.

Pochettino promised it would be the last time this sort of farce would happen while he was manager and, despite his denials, there look certain to be some repercussions for those involved.

Will Faulks can be found at Chelsea News, external

Image source, Reuters

Cole Palmer has been praised for an "incredible debut season" at Chelsea after his four-goal display against Everton lifted him to the top of the Premier League's goal standings.

Palmer has 20 goals this season, the same tally as his former Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland.

"What a player Cole Palmer is," said Blues fan and Goal Diggers podcaster Teema Nicholls on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"I don't know where Chelsea would be without him. He's had an incredible debut season and we're just hoping he can fire us into an FA Cup final and into Europe next season."

Monday's 6-0 victory put Chelsea three points behind Newcastle United and Manchester United, who are sixth and seventh respectively in the Premier League.

Asked about potential European qualification, Nicholls added: "We thrashed Everton but then we dropped points against Sheffield United and Burnley. You just don't know which version of this young team is going to turn up.

"You don't know what's going to happen towards the end of the season and what the teams above us are going to do, but to be three points behind Manchester United is an incredible position to be in, considering the type of season we've had."

We asked for your views on Chelsea's victory over Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

Here are some of your answers:

Chelsea fans

Julian: Palmer surely has to be the best buy of the season. What an astonishing player at only 21! I've no doubt all the haters will be reminding us how many penalties he has scored, but in such a chaotic season for Chelsea, the kid is a breath of fresh air!

Mathew: Really happy with that performance. Cole Palmer is such a good player for us and these types of performances should definitely make him a candidate for young player of the season. It was also great to see Alfie Gilchrist get his first goal as it’s such a nice sight for our Cobham graduates to score and celebrate with that much passion.

Richard: The Palmer show was amazing and he seemed to have a golden touch in that first 30 minutes, but a special mention to Caicedo, who probably had his best Chelsea match yet. He was strong in the tackle and in link-up play, despite being on nine yellows. Jackson also benefited from being part of a genuine front four.

Everton fans

Dave: We have embarrassed ourselves for long enough. We are not a Premier League club any more - on the field or off it. Luton Town deserve to stay up because they show fight. Nottingham Forest deserve to stay up because they play good football. We do neither of those things. I'll support Everton as long as I live but I'm a realist. Time to say goodbye to the Premier League and try to return when fixed.

Shaun: We had a six-goal advantage over Nottingham Forest wiped away in a single match. This was without a doubt the worst Everton performance I have ever watched.

Philip: Up until this game only the top sides had conceded fewer goals than Everton - so this was a real surprise as our defence has been solid. Leaking goals hasn’t been the problem. Our safety is in our own hands with games left against all of the teams around us at the bottom of the table.

Cole Palmer has a chance of winning the Premier League Golden Boot after hitting four goals past Everton at Stamford Bridge, having scored a hat-trick inside the first 29 minutes of the game.

The midfielder has recorded 20 Premier League goals so far this season, bringing him level with Erling Haaland of Manchester City, and he has now scored the most league goals in a campaign for the Blues since Diego Costa in 2016-17.

Leicester City defender Conor Coady praised the 21-year-old for becoming the Blues' "main man" this season on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club: "He is keeping Chelsea going a little bit this season.

"He has been a bright spark for Chelsea. What he is doing is fantastic. Everybody asked the question at the start of the season about whether he should be leaving [Manchester] City. He has shown everybody why he left City and why he is becoming the main man at Chelsea."

Coady also commented on whether he believes England manager Gareth Southgate should be looking to take Palmer to the Euros: "You have got to take him in the summer because he can affect games. That is what England need.

"Whether the England gaffer takes him for that, we don't know, but what a fantastic player this season.

"He deserves it as well."

Watch Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea player of the match Cole Palmer was "buzzing" after scoring four goals at Stamford Bridge in what was an overall "good performance" against Everton.

"It all happened so fast," he told Sky Sports. "We started well and I scored another hat-trick - buzzing. The team needed that after Sunday, but we did well."

The 21-year-old became the first Blues player to score a first-half hat-trick in the Premier League and just the second to score a hat-trick in back-to-back home appearances in the competition since Didier Drogba in 2010.

He is also the first to net four times in a league match for the club since Frank Lampard against Aston Villa in March 2010.

"The first one was my favourite," Palmer added. "My right foot was a bit of a swinger. We needed to come out and show something and it was a good performance."

On 20-year-old Alfie Gilchrist, who scored his first goal for the club: "He has been a Chelsea fan all his life and everyone is buzzing for him."

Image source, Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino told BBC Sport he is "happy" with Chelsea's 6-0 thrashing of Everton and praised their "very clinical" performance.

However, the Blues boss did "apologise to the fans" for Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke's behaviour when they were arguing with Cole Palmer over who would take the penalty.

"It is a shame," Pochettino said. "It is a process for a young team who need to learn a lot. I was talking about this to the players after the game. It is the last time I want to see something like this.

"They need to learn and be professional. We need to be focused on the collective. They knew it was Cole [Plamer]. Cole is the taker. It is a clear example that it is a process we still need to learn."

On whether he expected Palmer to score so many goals: "No. You expect him to perform well but he is performing fantastic and doing amazing for the team. I am happy for him scoring four goals."

Did you know?

• Palmer became the first Chelsea player to score in seven successive home league appearances at Stamford Bridge.

• The Blues secured their biggest league victory since a 6-0 win at Southampton in April 2022, extending their home unbeaten run over Everton to 29 games in the Premier League.

• Palmer has converted all nine penalties he has taken in the league, with only Yaya Toure (11) posting a better 100% conversion rate from the spot in the competition's history. Only Frank Lampard (10 in 2009-10) has scored more penalties than Palmer in a Premier League campaign for Chelsea.

Newcastle United are intensifying their scouting of RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, as they look to beat Chelsea to the signing of the 20-year-old Slovenia striker. (Teamtalk), external

Chelsea have triggered contract extensions for midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, with both having another year added on to what were already long-term deals. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Cole Palmer is having a phenomenal season and once again boosted his England Euro 2024 selection hopes with his second consecutive hat-trick at Stamford Bridge.

He has scored 20 Premier League goals this season, putting him level with Erling Haaland at the top of the golden boot race. Incredibly, before his move to Chelsea from Manchester City this summer Palmer had never scored a league goal.

Now the 21-year-old is a lynchpin for Mauricio Pochettino's side. He has scored the most league goals in a season for the Blues since Diego Costa also hit 20 in 2016-17.

He took his first three goals superbly, with his left foot, his head and his right foot, to score the fastest Premier League 'perfect' hat-trick since Gracenote started recording that data in 2008-09.

His successful penalty in the second half was a deserved bonus for a stunning performance.

Having scored 11 goals across his past six games in all competitions, Palmer will be after more in Chelsea's next match against his former club Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer scored four goals, including a hat-trick inside the first 29 minutes, as his side thrashed sorry Everton at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Palmer opened the scoring in the 13th minute by curling a beautiful strike into the bottom corner after nutmegging Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and playing a one-two with team-mate Nicolas Jackson.

He doubled the lead five minutes later, heading in a rebound after a Jackson shot had been saved by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford.

And the 21-year-old completed his hat-trick midway through the first half in style after he intercepted a poor pass from Pickford before lobbing the England goalkeeper from 40 yards out.

Jackson then inflicted more doom on Everton just before the break by volleying in Marc Cucurella's cut-back, before Palmer added his fourth from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute.

And Chelsea scored a sixth in the 90th minute when substitute Alfie Gilchrist netted his first goal for the club from a tight angle.

Chelsea stretched their Premier League unbeaten run to eight matches and are three points off seventh-placed Manchester United, who currently sit in the Premier League's last European spot, having played one game fewer.

As for Everton, they were playing in their first match since receiving a two-point deduction for a second breach of Premier League financial rules. They stayed 16th, two points above the relegation zone.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Chelsea fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Everton fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

The team news for the Premier League game between Chelsea and Everton is in, with less than an hour to go until kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

Follow all the build-up and live text updates of the match here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on actor and Leyton Orient fan Daniel Mays.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

As usual with Chelsea, I don't have a clue what to go for here.

If you look back at their results then they are on a seven-game unbeaten run in the league, but they have drawn four of those matches because they always seem to shoot themselves in the foot.

Everton beat Mauricio Pochettino's side at Goodison Park in December, but only got their first league win of 2024 last week.

Beating Burnley was massive for them, but they need to follow that up by getting something at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are still a developing team so I am going to go with the Toffees to take a point.

Mays' prediction: 2-1

I bumped into Everton boss Sean Dyche in a restaurant on the South Bank about two weeks ago. He went: 'I know you - you're an actor.' And I went: 'Well, I know you too'. We had our photograph taken together and he was very nice. After what Everton have been through this season, I hope they stay up - but I think Chelsea will win this one.

See the full list of predictions here

Chelsea are preparing a bid for 26-year-old Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, having sent scouts to watch him during Atalanta's Europa League win at Liverpool. (Sportmediaset - in Italian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column